Emperor Corbinian Tyce
Corbinian Tyce (24 VE - 85 VE) was the fourth Emperor of Verenia and the eldest son of Emperor Darian and Empress Verona. Born under the rule of Emperor Maxim, Corbinian spent his youth in the court of Linares being groomed for leadership by his father and his grandmother, Queen Mother Leondrea Neinna. As the eldest son, Corbinian became familiar with the various nobles of the Empire in an effort by Darian to make him more favorable in their eyes. As a part of his education, Corbinian was trained in the arts of war, even managing to learn a few techniques of battle magic. When he was 17, Corbinian served with the 2nd Legion in their intervention in the Barlow War and while they did not see full pitched battle during the war, the prince's presence did much to garner his reputation as a future emperor that could live up to his grandfather and uncle. It was also during this time that Corbinian met a princess of one of the Barlowian noble families, Rola Rocine. They fell in love and without the permission of his father, the two married in 42 VE. When they returned, Darian was furious, but allowed it out of the love he had for his eldest son (a love that some historians noted did not necessarily carry to his other children). In 44 VE, Rola gives birth to Jocelin Tyce in the Palace at Linares. However, due to complications with the birth, Rola's health took a sharp turn afterwards and by 46 VE she had become gravely ill and died at the age of 21. Corbinian was completely distraught, but continued to take care of the young Jocelin in Linares. For many years, Corbinian was melancholy after the death of Rola, but his father Emperor Darian did not have much sympathy. In 50 VE, Corbinian accompanied his father along the Parade of Kings, where he met Batilda Florus, a relative of his uncle Marcel Florus, in Yoros. While Corbinian did not take to her as well as Darian hoped, his father arranged their marriage nevertheless and in 51 VE Corbinian was married yet again. The marriage was consummated and their son, Jullien Tyce was born in 52 VE. A short while later, Corbinian's younger brother, Josias, was killed in a shipwreck off the Eastern Coast, he was only 21. As the eldest son, Corbinian stood by his father's side and became more involved in the administration of the Empire in his grief. His father named him Court Ambassador as he once was when he was young, many see this as the beginning of the tradition of the emperor giving their heir this position. For the rest of his father's reign, Corbinian worked alongside him in helping administer court matters. During the Bosson's Flu epidemic, Corbinian worked to arrange a trade negotiation with the Guildlands in 60 VE to send economic aid and food provisions to the regions affected by the epidemic. While this deal helped the people affected by the disease, eventually making it fade away to manageable levels, the diversion of food offset famished populations in Falstaff, which then rose up as a part of the Famished Rebellion in 62 VE. When the rebellion grew out of control, Corbinian traveled with his father to squash the rebels, culminating in the Dumbarton Massacre in 64 VE. Horrified by the massacre of the peasants, Corbinian convinced his father to hold a festival in Falstaff to keep the peace and bring prosperity to the suffering peasants. As a part of this festival, Corbinian's daughter, Jocelin, was betrothed to Bayard Osborn, heir to the Osborn Dynasty and in 65 VE they were married. Corbinian's reaction to his father's brutal crackdown of the peasants strained their relationship, and the prince vowed to never raise arms against his own people. Nevertheless, when Emperor Darian's health began to fade after the third Parade of Kings, Corbinian stood by his side and was present at his father's deathbed in 72 VE. After Emperor Darian died, Corbinian was crowned as Emperor Corbinian a few days later in Linares at the age of 48. As Emperor, Corbinian mainly carried on the legacy of his father. Under Emperor Corbinian's reign, all the major cities of the realm became connected by an intricate system of roads, Linares' walls had been renovated, the Palace expanded, and land reforms had been established across the Empire to bolster the rural population in case of famine or drought. Notably, Emperor Corbinian also instituted military reforms in , known as Corbinian's Decree, to decentralize the Verenian army. Corbinian saw this as a way to begin an effort of demilitarization of the military that would take several decades to fully take form. Many critics saw this as surrendering the power of the Empire and shifting towards a more fractured Verenia. Among these critics were Corbinian's sons, the princes Jullien and Jason, who saw their father as weak. Their relationship became more strained when Emperor Corbinian went back on his promise to his father Darian and declared that his inheritance should pass through his daughter, Jocelin, instead of Jullien or Jason, as she is his first-born. This decision would mean that the crown would eventually pass to Jocelin's son, Cerdic, who bore the name Osborn instead of Tyce. Tycenian loyalists believed this move would bring the end to the Tycenian Dynasty and only incur instability, while Corbinian believed that dynastic politics should not be dominant and that the Imperial laws were more important. Nevertheless, this decision completely alienated Jullien and Jason from their father and shattered their relationship, while strengthening the Osborn dynasty's influence in politics. Emperor Corbinian's decision alienated other members of the family as well, notably his brother Prince Floridus. In 81 VE, one year after the new succession law was announced, Floridus left the court of Linares and set off to Yoros to join his nephews in protest. However, a horrible storm struck and Floridus and his followers were swept off the mountains and killed, although Floridus' body was never found. Floridus left three bastard children, Perrin, Alric, and Ferrand behind, all three of which also joined Jullien and Jason in Yoros. Corbinian's mother, the Queen Mother Verona Asta, stayed by her son's decision, however in 84 VE she died at the old age of 82. Emperor Corbinian, now almost completely isolated from his family, spent the last year of his reign, and life, in Linares. One morning in 85 VE, while alone in his bedchamber, Emperor Corbinian suffered a major heart attack and died at the age of 61. When his servant found him, they claimed that a piece of paper on his desk said that the succession law should be reversed, but the validity of such a paper is very suspicious and likely never existed. Nevertheless, before the funeral could be held, word was sent to the Prince Jullien in Yoros to claim his throne, while the Princess Jocelin and Bayard Osborn also left for Linares to claim the throne for themselves. Jullien arrived first and two weeks after his father's death, Jullien Tyce was crowned as Emperor Jullien, the fifth Emperor of Verenia. But with Jocelin and Cerdic still out there, the stage was set for conflict.